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Moving from conspicuous to conscious consumption and doing reviews along the way.  Find plenty of unsponsored reviews of Quince, Everlane, Grana, and Cuyana on the site!  I'm working towards a minimal waste lifestyle, and oh yea I love bags >.<

January 2024 Recap

Tried on some bags at COS in Vancouver but did not buy

 

Did

For a friend’s milestone birthday, I went to Vancouver for a weekend of window shopping and eating. It was my second time there and even though it was rainy I had a blast. I didn’t buy any clothes, shoes, or bags since I was trying my best to stick to #nonewJanuary but I did indulge in some fancy teas and new scent from Le Labo (Noir 29). Overall it was a great weekend getaway!

Started renovations to the new house: So late last year we bought a house and we’re going to be moving in 2024! But before we move in we’re doing some renovations since we know once we move in we’ll never update anything. We’re also concurrently updating the house we live in now to get it ready for sale. So house renos might be taking up a lot of my time in the foreseeable future. Oh and did I mention my husband is basically doing this semi-DIY? Wish us luck 😂

Since I got so many new bags in 2023, I decided to sell some of my bags to make room in the closet (plus I know I’ll be moving so I really need to let go of some stuff before the move). I’m currently selling it through Instagram here before selling it on eBay or Fashionphile.


Updated my Quince sweater review with some merino wool sweaters I got late last year,

New Stanley with my favorite mug Cecile Preziosa and little Daruma from Japan

 

Buy

As I was doing a #NoNewJanuary you would expect this part to be empty. However I sadly could not so easily hop off the consumer escalator cold turkey. Yes I did not buy any more bags, or clothes, but I did buy some other things.

Stanley 30oz Tumbler: Yes, what is more indicative of consumer mania than a purchase of a Stanley Tumbler. But for my defense, I looove my 40oz one and that has truly helped with my hydration (and I took it to work with me everyday I was in the shop). But carrying it around by the side handle was especially awkward, and since mine was the older version without the silicone sealant areas it would leak when filled to the brim. It also leaked every time it got knocked over. So I decided to buy a second one in a smaller size with the top handle (I’ll always be a top handle gal). And this one is leak proof. Anyway did I buy it because of the current Stanley media coverage? Probably, but I have no regrets. Oh by the way, they say it’s dishwasher safe but high heat it can cause discoloration of the outside colors (a fading in streaks) if you choose to wash it this way. Also P.S. I can’t help judging those who are collecting these just to collect them in all the colors. Years from now when the craze has passed they’re just going to see that they bought 20+ water tumblers that are all going to go to Goodwill.

 

Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Tinted Moisturizer: I knew this was inevitable—once I stopped spending on my closet I would spend money on beauty products. It happened before when I did a No Spend year (clothes, shoes, and bags only), which not coincidentally happened to be my crazy nail polish collection year. But knowing this can happen, I try to be a little more conscious of this knee-jerk reaction. Yet I did buy a new tinted sunscreen on the recommendation of Michele Wang (via YouTube—it was on one of her bests of 2023 list). I justified it since I ran out of my Nuori tinted sunscreen but decided not to repurchase a fifth tube because for some reason the formulation was getting to be a little funky. I don’t know if it’s me or them, but the Nuori sunscreen started feeling really chalky on me. Anyway got this Dr. Jart tinted sunscreen and wow I’m a believer (and now a fan of Michele Wang lol). This stuff is good. I got it in the fair-light and it work so well. Blends right into my skin and it gives me spf 40 protection. I’m hooked.